While some would argue that Gennady Golovkin should still be undefeated after his draw and loss to Canelo Álvarez, those bouts are on his record and he is officially in the “needs to make a statement” territory. Golovkin will next face undefeated Canadian Steve Rolls on Saturday, and what he needs more than anything is a good, brutal knockout.
Gennady Golovkin needs a statement fight
Following a huge upset in the boxing world and Golovkin’s own loss to Canelo Álvarez, GGG needs an impressive win over Steve Rolls on Saturday.
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Nothing against Rolls, of course, but Golovkin needs this. Many (myself included) felt Golovkin won the first fight with Alvarez, and many still believe the second fight also went his way (I had the second bout as a draw). But instead of immortality through glory, Golovkin stands on the edge of what could be branching paths for the remainder of his career.
There are still some big, big fights out there for Golovkin, including a rubber match against Canelo, but he can’t go in coming off a lackluster win over someone like Rolls, who Golovkin admitted to not even knowing of when he signed the fight contract. That isn’t to say Rolls isn’t worthy of this fight, but he’s not faced anyone even remotely close to Golovkin’s caliber in his 19-fight career.
Saturday’s bout, which will be streamed via DAZN, carries a ton of risk for Golovkin and very little for Rolls. Obviously, the boxing world is very upset-minded on the heels of Andy Ruiz Jr. knocking out Anthony Joshua, and Rolls’ 10 career knockouts are certainly something you should pay attention to, but Golovkin is the heavy favorite and should win.
But the granite-chinned power puncher needs more than a win over someone who hasn’t beaten anybody with a Wikipedia page. He needs to make a statement, whether that’s a first-round knockout or a 12-round clinic. He can’t falter and he can’t begin the same kind of decline that Joshua has seen since beating Wladimir Klitschko in April 2017.
Golovkin has said he doesn’t want to spend the rest of his career chasing titles. He’s said he wants to fight the best, but until he makes another big statement win, the best won’t be inclined to fight him. Why would Canelo take a third fight? Why would any of the other top middleweights in the world fight him? The payday would be nice no matter what, but the shine is off Golovkin, at least for now.
That could change on Saturday.
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